U.S. patent number 6,889,994 [Application Number 10/610,484] was granted by the patent office on 2005-05-10 for trailer pulling apparatus.
Invention is credited to Jason Birkenbaugh.
United States Patent |
6,889,994 |
Birkenbaugh |
May 10, 2005 |
Trailer pulling apparatus
Abstract
A trailer pulling apparatus consisting of a quill having a bore
and having an outer surface; a trailer mount fixedly attached to
the outer surface of the quill; a tongue having forward and
rearward ends, the tongue slidably extending through the bore of
the quill; a hitch fixedly attached to the forward end of the
tongue; and an automatically disengagable slide controlling spring
latch connected operably to the quill and to the tongue, the spring
latch automatically locking the tongue with respect to the quill
upon successive rearward and forward motions of the tongue through
the quill.
Inventors: |
Birkenbaugh; Jason (Kingman,
KS) |
Family
ID: |
34549727 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/610,484 |
Filed: |
June 30, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
280/491.2;
280/479.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60D
1/155 (20130101); B62D 53/00 (20130101); B60D
2001/006 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60D
1/155 (20060101); B60D 1/00 (20060101); B62D
53/00 (20060101); B62D 053/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;280/491.2,511,407,412,482,491.1,479.2,479.3 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Morris; Lesley D.
Assistant Examiner: Winner; Tony
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Jack; Kenneth H. Davis & Jack,
LLC
Claims
I claim:
1. A trailer pulling apparatus comprising: (a) a quill having a
bore and having an outer surface; (b) trailer mounting means
fixedly attached to the quill; (c) a tongue having a forward end
and having a rearward end, the tongue extending through the bore of
the quill; (d) a hitch fixedly attached to the forward end of the
tongue; (e) spring Biasing means; (f) a pin latch; and, (g) slide
controlling means fixedly attached to the quill, the slide
controlling means being adapted for alternately resisting and
permitting sliding movement of the tongue through the bore of the
quill; the slide control means comprising a shear pin, a first
shear pin receiving aperture, and a second shear pin receiving
aperture, the first and second shear pin receiving apertures
respectively extending through the quill and through the tongue,
the first and second shear pin receiving apertures being alignable
and being fitted for receipts of the shear pin; the slide control
means further comprising a pin guiding bracket, the shear pin being
mounted slidably within the pin guiding bracket for movement
between first and second positions, the shear pin extending into
the quill's bore while in its first position, the shear pin being
withdrawn from the first position while in the second position; the
spring biasing means being operatively connected to the shear pin
and to the pin guiding bracket, the spring biasing means being
adapted for moving the shear pin to the first position; the pin
latch operatively spanning between the pin guiding bracket and the
shear pin, the pin latch being adapted for releasably holding the
shear pin in the second position; and (h) pin releasing means
fixedly attached to the forward end of the tongue, the pin
releasing means being adapted for, upon rearward sliding motion of
the tongue through the quill's bore, automatically disengaging the
pin latch, freeing the shear pin for spring biased movement to the
first position.
2. The trailer pulling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pin latch
comprises a trip arm and slot combination.
3. The trailer pulling apparatus of claim 2 wherein the pin
releasing means comprises a trip bar.
4. The trailer pulling apparatus of claim 3 wherein the hitch
comprises an eye, ball socket or clevis hitch.
5. The trailer pulling apparatus of claim 4 wherein the quill and
the tongue comprise lengths of structural steel having square or
rectangular cross-sectional shapes.
6. The trailer pulling apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a
slide stop fixedly attached to the rearward end of the tongue.
7. The trailer pulling apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a
pull handle fixedly attached to the shear pin.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to pulled trailers, carriages, wagons, and
the like. More particularly, this invention relates to trailer
tongues extending forwardly from such apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A trailering vehicle such as, for example, a fifth wheel wagon,
commonly has a forwardly extending tongue whose rearward end is
fixedly and pivotally attached to such wagon's forward fifth wheel
axle, and whose forward end comprises a trailer hitch, typically
configured as a ball socket or as a hook engaging ring or eye. The
lateral dimensions of the rearward end of a truck which pulls such
wagon, and the forward end of such wagon commonly dictate the
length of such tongue. Where such tongue has an insufficient
length, and upon, for example, a sharp left turn, a "jack knife"
may occur wherein the left front corner of such wagon undesirably
comes into contact with the left rear corner of such truck.
Accordingly, such tongues are lengthened so that such jack knifing
contact is avoided upon sharp cornering. However, where the truck
comprises a flatbed vehicle equipped with hay bale handling
articulating arms, tongue lengthening needed to facilitate sharp
cornering may displace the wagon so far rearwardly from the truck
that the truck's articulating arms are unable to transfer hay bales
from the bed of the truck to the wagon.
The instant inventive trailer pulling apparatus solves the above
described problem by configuring a trailering tongue to include a
quill and slide shaft assembly which is capable of alternately
assuming trailering and bale off-loading positions.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary structural component of the instant inventive trailer
pulling apparatus comprises a quill having a hollow bore.
Preferably, the quill comprises a length of structural square steel
tubing. Trailer mounting means fixedly attached to the quill are
necessarily provided, such means preferably comprising a pivotal
attachment to a fifth wheel axle of a fifth wheel trailer.
Suitably, where the trailer pulling apparatus is to be used in
conjunction with a single axle trailer, or in conjunction with a
trailer having a single gang of axles, the trailer mounting means
may comprise a fixed weldment of the quill to the forward end of
such trailer.
Necessarily, a sliding tongue is telescopingly mounted within the
bore of the quill, the sliding tongue preferably comprising a
smaller gauged length of structural steel having a square
cross-section, the outer cross-sectional dimensions of the sliding
tongue preferably closely matching the inner cross-sectional
dimensions of the bore of the quill.
Slide controlling means fixedly attached to the quill or formed
wholly with the quill are necessarily provided, such means being
adapted for alternately and selectively holding the slide tongue at
a forwardly extended position, and permitting movement to a
rearwardly retracted position. Suitably, commonly known slide
stopping means such as shear pin and eye combinations, slide
stopping collars, slide stopping moveable cogs and the like may be
utilized for controlling forward extension and rearward retraction
of the slide tongue. However, preferably, the requisite slide
controlling means comprises a shear pin guiding bracket which is
fixedly attached to the quill, such bracket supporting and guiding
spring biased motion of a shear pin. Preferably, the shear pin is
moveable between a first position wherein the shear pin extends
into and through aligned pin receiving apertures within the quill
and forwardly extended tongue, and a second position wherein the
shear pin is outwardly withdrawn from such first position.
The shear pin and shear pin guiding bracket preferably comprise a
pin latch which spans between the bracket and the shear pin, and
which is adapted for selectively holding the shear pin in its
withdrawn second position. Also preferably, pin releasing means in
the form of a bar or plate fixedly attached to the forward end of
the sliding tongue is positioned to disengage such latch upon
rearward retraction of the slide tongue.
In operation of the instant inventive trailer pulling apparatus, a
hay bale carrying flat bed truck which is equipped with bale
carrying articulating arms, and which is equipped with a rear ball
hitch, may be provided. Preferably, the forward end of the slide
tongue of the instant invention is provided with a ball socket
hitch, an eye hitch, or a clevis hitch. Such hitch may be securely
attached to such truck's rear trailer hitch. Upon manipulating the
slide tongue and the shear pin to assure that the shear pin extends
through aligned apertures within the quill and the slide tongue,
the inventive trailer pulling apparatus is configured in a
trailering configuration. In such trailering configuration the
effective length of the apparatus is preferably sufficient to
prevent undesirable "jack knifing" upon sharp cornering.
Where a next operation of transferring a hay bale from the load bed
of such truck onto a wagon or trailer pulled by such truck is to be
executed, the shear pin is withdrawn from the slide tongue's and
the quill's aligned apertures, and the pin latch is actuated to
hold the shear pin in such withdrawn position. Thereafter, the
truck may be backed toward the trailer or wagon, the backing motion
slidably rearwardly moving the slide tongue through the bore of the
quill until such tongue's forward pin releasing bar or plate
disengages the pin latch. Upon disengagement of the pin latch, the
shear pin is biased by the biasing spring through the quill's
aperture to rest upon an outer surface of the slide tongue.
Thereafter, upon completion of hay bale transfers from the bed of
the truck to the trailered wagon, the truck may be driven
forwardly, causing the slide tongue to slidably move forwardly
through the bore of the quill. Upon realignment of the slide
tongue's pin receiving aperture with the quill's pin receiving
aperture, the shear pin biasing spring automatically further drives
the shear pin into the slide tongue's shear pin receiving aperture,
automatically locking the slide tongue in its forwardly extended
trailering position.
Accordingly, objects of the present invention include the provision
of a trailer pulling apparatus comprising an extendable and
retractable quill and slide tongue assembly, such assembly
incorporating means for selectively releasing the slide tongue for
rearward sliding retraction, and for automatically locking the
slide tongue in place with respect to the quill upon forward
extension of the slide tongue.
Other and further objects, benefits, and advantages of the present
invention will become known to those skilled in the art upon review
of the Detailed Description which follows, and upon review of the
appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the instant inventive trailer
pulling apparatus.
FIG. 2 redepicts FIG. 1, showing the trailer pulling apparatus in
an alternate configuration.
FIG. 3 redepicts FIG. 1, showing the trailer pulling apparatus in a
second alternate configuration.
FIG. 4 redepicts the trailer pulling apparatus showing the
apparatus operatively attached to an exemplary fifth wheel hay
carrying trailer, such trailer being of the type described in U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/610,106, filed Jun. 30, 2003,
entitled "Round Hay Bale Carrier".
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, the
instant inventive trailer pulling apparatus is referred to
generally by Reference Arrow 1. The apparatus 1 comprises a hollow
bored quill 2 having a spring biased shear pin controlling assembly
3 fixedly attached to its forward end, and having trailer attaching
means, preferably a fifth wheel assembly comprising fifth wheel
axle 8, fifth wheel pivot 12, and vertical pivot 14, fixedly
attached to its rearward end.
Referring further to FIG. 1, a sliding tongue 4 is mounted within
the bore of the quill 2, the rearward end of the sliding tongue 4
having a slide stop 10 fixedly attached thereto, and the forward
end of the slide tongue 4 having a trailer hitch 6, representative
of ball socket, eye, and clevis hitches, and having a latch
disengaging plate 32 fixedly attached thereto. Referring
simultaneously to FIGS. 1 and 3, the sliding tongue 4 preferably
further has a shear pin receiving aperture 34 extending vertically
therethrough.
Referring further to FIG. 1, a shear pin guiding bracket 20 is
fixedly attached to the forward end of the quill 2, and a shear pin
22 is retained by and is slidably mounted within bracket 20.
Preferably, the shear pin 22 supports outwardly extending pin
latching arms 28 and 30, such arms being engagable with bracket
slots 18 and 16. Also preferably, the shear pin 22 axially extends
through and is downwardly biased by spring 26, the spring 26
spanning between the ceiling of bracket 20 and upper surfaces of
latch arms 28 and 30.
Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 1 and 3, while the shear pin 22
is downwardly positioned as depicted in FIG. 1, the lower end of
the shear pin 22 extends through apertures within quill 2 (such
apertures not within view), and simultaneously extends through
aperture 34 within slide tongue 4, such downward extension of shear
pin 22 operating to lock the slide tongue 4 in its forwardly
extended position described in FIG. 1. While the trailer pulling
apparatus 1 is configured as depicted in FIG. 1, spring 26
continues to function to secure the shear pin 22 in its downwardly
extended and locked position, preventing the shear pin 22 from
undesirably releasing upon experiencing vibration of road
travel.
Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 1 and 4, and assuming that the
trailer pulling apparatus 1 and exemplary hay trailer 5 are pulled
by a flatbed truck (not depicted) which is equipped with
articulating hay bale transferring arms, "T" handle 24 may be
grasped by an operator and pulled upwardly against spring 26 until
latch arms 28 and 30 align with slots 18 and 16. Thereafter,
referring further to FIG. 2, the operator may rotate "T" handle 24
clockwise, causing latch arms 28 and 30 to pivotally move into
slots 18 and 16. Upon configuring the trailer pulling apparatus as
depicted in FIG. 2, the sliding tongue 4 is released for sliding
motion within the bore of quill 2. Thereafter, said truck may be
backed toward trailer 5 until pin releasing plate 32 contacts the
distal end of latch arm 30, simultaneously driving latch arms 28
and 30 out of slots 18 and 16. Upon configuring the trailer pulling
apparatus 1 as depicted in FIG. 3, such truck closely approaches
trailer 5, facilitating rearward hay bale transfers from such truck
to the trailer. In the configuration of FIG. 3, the lower end of
shear pin 22 extends through the quill's pin receiving aperture
(not within view) to rest upon the upper surface of slide tongue
4.
After completion of such bale transfers, such truck may be slowly
driven forwardly, causing slide tongue 4 to move slidably through
the bore of quill 2 until shear pin receiving aperture 34 aligns
with the lower end of shear pin 22. At such point, biasing spring
26 drives shear pin 22 downwardly into shear pin receiving aperture
34, relocking the trailer pulling apparatus 1 in the forwardly
extended trailering position depicted in FIG. 1. Slide stop 10
serves as a "fail safe" protecting against separation of the slide
tongue 4 from quill 2. While the principles of the invention have
been made clear in the above illustrative embodiment, those skilled
in the art may make modifications in the structure, arrangement,
portions and components of the invention without departing from
those principles. Accordingly, it is intended that the description
and drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in the limiting
sense, and that the invention be given a scope commensurate with
the appended claims.
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